Tuesday, June 26, 2007

The Most Dangerous State

If you're the sort of person who enjoys living on the edge, I recommend you move to Florida. That's right, the state that's home to Disney World, Shamu, and probably your grandpa is my pick for the most dangerous state in the USA. It's true that other states have higher crime rates and less hospitable climates. But in Florida, nature attacks. I'm not talking about the hurricanes or lightning strikes. (Florida leads the nation in both.) I'm talking about the kind of nature that jumps out of a pond, grabs you by the arm and drags you underwater. Here's my evidence.

1. Giant grasshoppers have recently taken over at least one Florida community. (Watch the amusing video here. I wouldn't want to tick-off the woman with the bb gun.)

2. On Monday, an eleven-foot, one-eyed gator sprang out of a pond in Venice, Florida, and pulled a golfer underwater. (Find out what happened here.)

3. Enormous pythons (pets that have been set free) now make their home in the Florida everglades. Some grow large enough to feed on alligators, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind snacking on a human from time to time. (See a truly disgusting picture here.)

4. Giant, poisonous cane toads. (Boy, those toads get around.) Bob cats. Six different kinds of venomous snakes. And do I even need to mention the SHARKS?

5. But no other Florida species compares to the Swamp Ape. Though they're not necessarily prone to violence, seeing one would be enough to give you a heart attack. (Not familiar with the Swamp Ape? Watch this fabulous, two-part documentary and check out the photo below.)

About Me

I'm the author of the Kiki Strike book series (plus a few other things) and co-author (with Jason Segel) of the Nightmares! book series.
This is my old blog. If you want to know what's happening now, check out kirstenmillerbooks.com!